There are many places
you can go to find advice on starting your business, including agencies, development
centers, service corps, colleges and universities. There are many people, with good
intentions, who will work with you for free, including consultants, counselors
and students. Yes, these are your tax dollars at work. However, the bottom line for the
success or failure of your startup business may be defined in one phrase:
entrepreneurial experience.

They have none.

Before you risk the future of your business, your happiness and your
money, ask those who wish to advise you about their level of experience in starting,
owning, and operating a successful business.

When they have none, don't waste your time or gamble the success of your business with
people who have not been there, done that, and have the expertise to guide you through the
process to produce the results you deserve.

Remember, none of these
groups have any certifying process, whatsoever, for competency of those who provide
services and it's impossible for any of them to be fired, no matter how harmful the advice
given you because they have absolutely no accountability.

Before you seek anyone's assistance, ask the question: "Have you ever
started, owned or operated a successful business?" When the answer is
"no," ask the question: "Who can you recommend with experience
in starting, owning or operating a successful business?" If they make
up some cockamamie reason or excuse that they can't or won't refer you to someone with
entrepreneurial business ownership experience, leave.

Avoid being misled by good intentions, academic degrees, university
sponsorships, government partnerships or the mumbo-jumbo of who or what are their funding
sources and how they qualify to be giving you business advice or their many years of
senior executive management positions.

Remember, every
recession in the United States was caused by these very same senior management executives,
including this one we're in right now!

Also, be aware that there are tax
subsidized small business development groups regretfully having a primary purpose of
providing employment to their directors, associate directors, administrators, staff,
counselors and seminar leaders, not as giving you advice you can use for your business.

Don't be fooled by the
statistics from any of the government subsidized agencies on number of startup businesses
they claim they've worked with. They count you (and everyone else who just walks through
their door or visits their websites) regardless of whether they gave any meaningful
information or not.

When you have the courage to start a business, have the smarts to seek only those with the
entrepreneurial experience it takes to make a business, any business and especially your
business a success.

Accept no substitutes.
Seek resultants not consultants,
counselors or students